Senior Mechanical Engineer; Thermal​/Cooling Design

Ashburn, VA;
Chantilly, VA;
Dallas, TX;
Houston, TX

Compu Dynamics Modular (CDM) is at the forefront of innovative modular solutions, specializing in Modular Data Centers (MDC), metal frame systems, and fully integrated enclosures. Our designs are scalable, efficient, and sustainable, tailored to meet the evolving needs of our clients in a dynamic industry.

The Senior Mechanical Engineer, Thermal and Cooling Design, is responsible for the thermal engineering and mechanical design of cooling systems for modular data center and industrial applications. This role owns the design process from customer IT load requirements through heat load analysis, cooling architecture selection, equipment sizing, and detailed mechanical design, producing solutions that are efficient, manufacturable, and code-compliant. The engineer works closely with estimating, manufacturing, and electrical and structural engineering to develop standardized cooling products and project-specific designs for high-density AI and HPC deployments.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Performs thermal and heat load calculations for IT modules at the rack, row, and module level for air-cooled, liquid-cooled, and hybrid deployments
• Translates customer rack schedules and IT load requirements into cooling capacity, airflow, and water flow requirements
• Performs psychrometric analysis for supply and return air conditions, dew point control, humidification, and economizer operation
• Performs heat transfer and fluid flow calculations for coils, heat exchangers, and liquid cooling loops
• Uses CFD modeling to validate airflow distribution, containment performance, and hot spot risk within modules
• Performs energy and efficiency analysis (PUE, partial PUE, annualized energy) to compare cooling architectures

• Develops cooling architectures for high-density AI and HPC loads, including direct-to-chip liquid cooling (DLC), rear door heat exchangers, and in-row, perimeter, and top-mounted air cooling
• Selects and sizes cooling equipment such as CRAH/CRAC units, fan walls, coolant distribution units (CDUs), chillers, dry coolers, and other heat rejection equipment
• Designs chilled water and technology cooling system (TCS) loops, including flow rates, delta T, pipe sizing, pressure drop, pump selection, and redundancy configuration (N, N+1, 2N)
• Designs hot aisle and cold aisle containment and airflow management, including structural containment products
• Performs air and water balance analyses to confirm that scheduled equipment delivers distributed capacity
• Develops controls requirements and sequences of operation in coordination with controls engineers

• Develops and maintains standardized cooling configurations and design tools that allow repeatable, fast-turnaround designs across projects
• Leads development of new cooling products and improvements to existing ones, from concept through prototype, testing, and release
• Defines test plans and validates performance through factory acceptance testing (FAT) and lab testing
• Works with manufacturing to ensure designs are optimized for factory assembly, quality, and cost (design for manufacturability)
• Evaluates new cooling technologies and vendor equipment, and recommends product and process improvements

• Produces mechanical drawings, 3D models, P&IDs, equipment schedules, and bills of material
• Prepares design basis narratives, technical specifications, product data sheets, and engineering calculation packages
• Ensures all designs conform to applicable codes and standards, and acts as the company resource on mechanical code analysis
• Reviews and approves submittals and shop drawings, and authors technical responses to customer RFIs
• Coordinates mechanical design with electrical, structural, and controls disciplines, and reviews their drawings for impact on mechanical design

• Provides mechanical scope, equipment selections, and cost inputs to estimating for customer RFQs and bids
• Acts as the technical liaison with customers and vendors on cooling design questions and equipment selection
• Supports commissioning and resolves design-related performance issues identified in the factory or field
• Functional Knowledge: In-depth expertise in thermal sciences and HVAC/cooling system…